1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to hanger systems and, more particularly, to a hanger system for hanging pots, pans and like cookware and kitchen utensils from a ceiling or wall mounted hanger support system.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Design Pat. Nos. Des. 392,133 and Des. 391,796 to Chen disclose a round ceiling rack and a half-round wall rack, respectively, which include spaced-apart rails. Hook members, having a head portion and a hook portion joined together by a flat shank portion, appear to be slidably positioned in the slots between the spaced-apart rails. The flat shanks of the hooks engage the rails on opposed sides so as to prevent rotation of the hook members.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 353,502 to Liu discloses a hanger for kitchen utensils having a single square beam open at its lower surface to permit a plurality of hanger hooks to slide therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,166 to Hann et al. discloses a supporting rack for cooking utensils comprising a generally rectangularly formed flat bar with hook members suspended therearound.
Additional prior art pot racks and hanger systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,387 to Rose; U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,967 to Neil; U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,531 to Lazarus, III; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,332 to Lambertson.
One major drawback in conventional pot rack systems resides in the area where the hook attaches to the metal rack. Conventional pot hangers sometimes include hooks at both ends which will result in relative movement between adjacent pots and pans, generating contact between the hanging utensils, causing annoying sounds and possible cosmetic damage to the cookware. Other track-mounted hooks tend to move or “walk” along the rails when the rack is vibrated as other pots and pans are being removed or replaced. Hook systems such as disclosed in the above-mentioned Chen patents also suffer from the drawback that the hook cannot be rotated to accommodate better positioning of the utensils being hung.
The present invention solves the shortcomings found in the prior art by providing a pot rack system having a unique hook and track arrangement which provides easy movement along the rack including 360° rotation of the hook. Once the desired position is found, the hook remains firmly in place on the rack.